Dosh Financial Advocacy

Supporting people with a learning disability to be more independent and have more control over their money.

Dosh Financial Advocacy

Supporting people with a learning disability to be more independent and have more control over their money.

Dosh Financial Advocacy

Supporting people with a learning disability to be more independent and have more control over their money.

Dosh Financial Advocacy

Supporting people with a learning disability to be more independent and have more control over their money.

Factsheets for family carers

In 2015, Dosh worked with Sheffield Mencap and Gateway on a local project with family carers who support a relative with a learning disability with their money. Many family carers want to support their relative with money, but often find the process complicated, confusing and stressful.

An important part of the project was helping people to plan for the future, for example when their relative moves out of the family home or when they can no longer manage their relative’s money themselves.

As a result of our findings, we created a series of factsheets for family carers who are involved in managing money for a relative.

The factsheets give key information on topics such as benefits and family banking. We hope they will help you better understand your options as a family carer, and to be more confident in supporting your relative with money, now and in the future.

Top tips for managing family moneyLearn about how to manage your relative’s money if they live at home, including the importance of separating their money and paying towards household expenses.

Checklist for financial healthDoes your relative have more than £6,000 in savings? Do their benefits come into the same account as your income? Use this checklist to find out what you need to do and check other common problems.

BenefitsWhat are the most common benefits claimed by people with a learning disability? Read up on key information about these benefits, including moving from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

Appointeeship for benefitsAn appointee is an individual or organisation that manages someone else’s benefits. If you are an appointee, this will be a useful reminder of what you should be doing. If you are getting an appointee, use this to help you plan and choose.

Mental capacity and moneyHave you or your relative been told they do not have the capacity to do something like open a bank account? This factsheet will tell you what this means and what your options are. This is based on the Mental Capacity Act for England and Wales.

Planning for the futureBased on Thera Trust’s Safe and Secure book, this factsheet helps you think about what will happen with money in the future and what you can do now to prepare. It includes banking, benefits, wills and trusts and links to support.

If you need any of these factsheets in a different format please contact us.

Please note, where there are different laws in different parts of the UK, these factsheets relate to English (and in most cases Welsh) law. We are happy to provide additional information for people in Scotland and Northern Ireland on the differences for your areas.

As well as sharing this information we always enjoy speaking to family carers in person. If you have a group you would like us to speak to, please contact us.

You can also speak to us about how we could support your relative now and in the future. This could be with a money check, appointeeship for benefits, financial advocacy for their personal money or account management for care funding. Contact us to discuss different options and arrange a visit from your local Dosh financial advocate.